46% body fat- Ugh!

amersmanders
amersmanders Posts: 118 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
It just occurred to me that not only do I have a lot of weight and inches to lose, I also have a lot of body fat to lose. Discouraging but not devastating, I just wasn't aware that it was SO bad. I can't help but feel that half of me is fat!

I wish MFP had a body fat percentage ticker because I want to monitor that as well now.

Starting Weight: 202.1
Current Weight: 193.6
Target Weight: 155
Current Body Fat: 46%
Target Body Fat: 22%
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Replies

  • AnisaMG
    AnisaMG Posts: 154 Member
    I track my body fat% too. I added it to the weigh in, so it's part of my weekly or biweekly routine. As you lose weight it will go down too, good luck on your journey!! :flowerforyou:
  • JessyJ03
    JessyJ03 Posts: 627 Member
    My numbers are similar but I'm a lot heavier than you

    Starting Weight: 354 (I imagine my BF% was well over 50% here)
    Current Weight: 303.5
    Target Weight: 175 (or lower depends on when I get this far)
    Current BF %: 47.6
    Target BF%: I'm aiming for under 31% then from there we will move forward.

    When I first found out my body fat percentage that was the first thing I said to myself. I'M HALF FAT! ugh. It's just a starting point though and doesn't define who I am ;)
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    I see more value in body fat over mere weight.
  • katykellison
    katykellison Posts: 3 Member
    Curious - how are you guys calculating your body fat %?
  • tammyandzach
    tammyandzach Posts: 922 Member
    That seems really high. I started at 254 and was only 36%. how tall are you.
  • AussieRachG
    AussieRachG Posts: 43 Member
    How do you find out your body fat %?
  • SuperCindy185
    SuperCindy185 Posts: 12 Member
    I had the same reaction - UGH I"m half fat and then to be positive said wow the other half must be really strong to load all of it around! Keep up your jouney - looks like you have a great attitude!
  • Sharyn913
    Sharyn913 Posts: 777 Member
    Body fat is easy to lose as you lose weight. I am 5'2" I started at 196lbs and was 39.4% BF. After six months, I only lost 20lbs, but I lost 6% BF. I felt that was a bigger victory!
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    How do you find out your body fat %?

    Try this - http://www.skinbodyfitness.com/bmr_bmi_bfp.htm

    it uses the military body fat calculator.
  • amersmanders
    amersmanders Posts: 118 Member
    I see more value in body fat over mere weight.

    I would have to agree Bobby-

    I had originally planned on focusing on just the weight, knowing that as I made adjustments to my eating and exercising that the body fat would theoretically go down with it, but after my weigh in (my gym has a body fat calculation scale), I feel like I need to shift my focus a bit.

    Also, in response to the other poster, I am 5'4"
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  • Erisad
    Erisad Posts: 1,580
    Wait, what? That site gave me this result:

    Your BMR is: 1680.3
    Your BMI is: 33
    Minimum Calorie requirement is: 2604
    Your Body Fat is 41%.
    Your weight state is Obese.
    You should reduce your weight by 41 pound(s).

    But fat2fatradio gave me the number that I'm at 27.8% body weight, they use forearm and wrist measurements to determine one's frame. Not their military one, the other one. It's very inconsistent I think. I lost 56 pounds already and I thought I was 45% body fat back then. I'm confused. The 41% is probably right though, as it would put my goal weight at 143 pounds, which would be good for my BMI. I just don't feel like I have THAT much fat on me anymore. >.<
  • darrcn5
    darrcn5 Posts: 495 Member
    You can do it! I was 45% body fat in April of last year, and now I am 32%. I still have a bit to go, but that 13% has made a huge difference in how I feel and look.
  • mgs68pony
    mgs68pony Posts: 306 Member
    Well I have lost 16 pounds total and some before I started taking measurements.

    I calculated my before fat on this site

    43.6% fat at 164
    36% at my current weight of 152

    I guess this is pretty good for 12 pound loss.
  • JessyJ03
    JessyJ03 Posts: 627 Member
    I got my BF% from a hand held thing at the gym. They enter your weight, height and you hold onto it for awhile (it looks like a nintendo remote) and wah lah like magic it gives your bf% lol.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Lowering body fat is a function of eating at a caloric deficit with adequate protein intake, coupled with proper resistance exercise.
    Clean food intake (i.e., macronutrient manipulation) becomes increasingly important when trying to reach extreme (i.e. single-digit) bodyfat levels.
    Fixed it for you.
  • nsblue
    nsblue Posts: 331 Member
    Interesting site
    my BMI in the tools here says i am in the overweight category but by this site i am in the obese category still. I think the skin i am carrying affects my measurements...surgeon said at last appointment i havnt any viseral or sub fat...

    Your BMR is: 1628.4
    Your BMI is: 29.3
    Minimum Calorie requirement is: 2809
    Your Body Fat is 40.2%.
    Your weight state is Obese.
    You should reduce your weight by 41.3 pound(s).

    heck when i started it was well into the 90% range...... dont think i need to worry bout it now lol
  • PrincessNikkiBoo
    PrincessNikkiBoo Posts: 330 Member
    I think mine is 37%... when I first started it was 45%. You can do it!
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
    I got my BF% from a hand held thing at the gym. They enter your weight, height and you hold onto it for awhile (it looks like a nintendo remote) and wah lah like magic it gives your bf% lol.

    Ask someone at your gym whether anyone is qualified to use a skinfold caliper. Caliper method is far more reliable to give you an accurate score than online tools, BF scales or handheld things.

    http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/calculatebodyfat.html
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
    Lowering body fat is a function of eating at a caloric deficit with adequate protein intake, coupled with proper resistance exercise.
    Clean food intake (i.e., macronutrient manipulation) becomes increasingly important when trying to reach extreme (i.e. single-digit) bodyfat levels.
    Fixed it for you.

    Adequate protein intake is imperative but won't help you that much if your still eating a shedload of fast carbs.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    I had originally planned on focusing on just the weight, knowing that as I made adjustments to my eating and exercising that the body fat would theoretically go down with it, but after my weigh in (my gym has a body fat calculation scale), I feel like I need to shift my focus a bit.

    So it's worthless. Five weeks ago I got on one at work and it said I was 50% body fat. I was devestated. A friend who's in body building told me to find calipers. I had that done last week. 33% body fat! What a transformation in a month of no lifting!

    Body fat scales are useless.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Body fat estimation isn't hard using the "healthy twin" approach, as a random example if you could weigh 130 lbs at your height and do weigh 220 lbs then there's 90 lbs of excess fat for starters.

    if you like percentages 90/2.2 = 40.9% of excess fat.

    If the 130 lb version would be 20% fat then there's 104 lbs of non-fat

    (220-104)/220 * 100 = 52.7% total fat.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    As you lose weight it will go down too,
    Yes but not all weight lost are guaranteed from fat. When a person doesn't do any resistance training workout, half of that weight loss is actually from muscle & not fat. The result will be a thinner body with a lower BMI but still with high body fat percentage.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    The problem with using BF% is that it is very subjective. Weight and BMI is more objective. Someone that's fat doesn't really have to worry about BF% until he/she gets near goal weight.
    However BMI can also be very subjective. For one thing different weighing scales read different results which is why it isn't advisable to monitor weight using different scales. Another thing is that BMI doesn't suit everyone namely the very fit athletes, bodybuilders, pregnant women, elderly people & people with small frames.
  • LesterBlackstone
    LesterBlackstone Posts: 291 Member
    Lowering body fat is a function of eating at a caloric deficit with adequate protein intake, coupled with proper resistance exercise.
    Clean food intake (i.e., macronutrient manipulation) becomes increasingly important when trying to reach extreme (i.e. single-digit) bodyfat levels.
    Fixed it for you.

    Adequate protein intake is imperative but won't help you that much if your still eating a shedload of fast carbs.

    More fiction.

    Why do you think this is the least bit important in a caloric deficit?
  • amersmanders
    amersmanders Posts: 118 Member
    Well, my plan is this:

    4x week Elliptical combined with weights (arms) on two days and weights (legs) on the other two days
    and
    3x week walking at 3.0-3.5 mph combined with some other form of exercise-- heavy cleaning, gardening, hiking, bowling, etc.

    The walking days are my fun days (things I enjoy doing/feel good about taking care of)
    The elliptical days are my serious days.

    Once I lose enough weight so that I am less likely to injure my knees (down to 170s), then I will replace elliptical with jogging/running on treadmill as it burns more calories than the elliptical for me in the same amount of time, and then focus more on those days on weight lifting.

    I know it's going to take a long time. What I don't want is to lose a lot of quick weight that a) makes my body look weird and b) will be more likely to come back on quickly. I want to do this the right way.
  • amersmanders
    amersmanders Posts: 118 Member
    44.7%
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    I started to track my body fat percentage too. There seems to be different calculators out there.. which ones have you guys used? I used one of the ones posted in this thread and got 36.1% yet yesterday, I used another one that said I was 26.53%? :S
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